Fight Matrix

2015 Awards: Comeback Fighter of the Year

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Jason

As a refresher, our “Comeback” award is about coming back from inactivity or major injury (that we know about) and in doing so, really impressing. You can see more details at the bottom of the post about specific qualifiers.

In this category, it was fairly slim pickings this year…

Comeback Fighter of the Year: Sergio Moraes

Nearly two years off from the sport, he had two UFC fights in the calendar year of 2015 and was victorious in both of them. Now ranked within the Top 50 in his division, it’s tough to argue against Moraes as the top selection for this award.

To qualify, fighters must be in an active status at the end of the award year and did not have a fight in the previous calendar year or are coming off of a known major injury that caused an inactive period of 15+ months.

Current MMA Rankings Updated (12-31-2015)

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Jason

Notable Info

End-of-year rankings update.

Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)

Saturday, August 22nd 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL Tampa: Cyborg vs. Vieira

[#1 W145] Cristiane Justino

[#4 W135] Ketlen Vieira

Last Fight Date: 12/13/2025 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#2 W145] Sara Collins
Last 5: W W W W W

Last Fight Date: 5/16/2026 [UFC]
Last Opponent: [#10 W135] Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Last 5: W L W L W

Saturday, July 18th 2026: RIZIN LANDMARK 15 in HIROSHIMA

[#3 W105] Si Woo Park

[#7 W105] Moeri Suda

Last Fight Date: 11/23/2025 [DEEP]
Last Opponent: [#34 W105] Saki Kitamura
Last 5: W W W L W

Last Fight Date: 3/07/2026 [DEEP]
Last Opponent: [#16 W105] Namiko Kawabata
Last 5: W W W L W

Saturday, July 18th 2026: RIZIN LANDMARK 15 in HIROSHIMA

[#5 W105] Saori Oshima

[#13 W105] Ye Ji Lee

Last Fight Date: 3/07/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation]
Last Opponent: [#11 W105] Keito Oyama
Last 5: L L W L W

Last Fight Date: 5/24/2026 [DEEP]
Last Opponent: [#32 W105] Eru Takebayashi
Last 5: W L W L W

Featured Fighters

[#77 BW]	Aleksandre Topuria	[#2 MW]	Khamzat Chimaev
[NR]	Conor McGregor	[#1 WW]	Islam Makhachev
[#25 MW]	Sharabutdin Magomedov	[#1 LW]	Justin Gaethje
[NR]	Dustin Poirier	[#41 LHW]	Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev
[#2 LW]	Ilia Topuria	[#5 LW]	Max Holloway

Fight Matrix Program: UFC 195 (01-02-2016)

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Jason

Welterweight Championship (170)
[#1/#9DD/#8P4P] Robbie Lawler (26-10-0, -110) vs. [#7] Carlos Condit (30-8-0, -112)
Robbie Lawler is the All-Time #4 ranked Welterweight and #25 ranked Absolute fighter.
Carlos Condit is the All-Time #5 ranked Welterweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Robbie Lawler (3-0-0)
2015-07-11: W vs. [#3WW] Rory MacDonald (18-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:00 of round 5
2014-12-06: W vs. [#2WW/#10P4P] Johny Hendricks (17-3-0) via SD (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-07-26: W vs. [#9WW] Matt Brown (20-13-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)

Last 3 Fights: Carlos Condit (2-1-0)
2015-05-30: W vs. [#23WW] Thiago Alves (21-10-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2014-03-15: L vs. [#4WW] Tyron Woodley (15-3-0) via TKO (Leg Kick) in 2:00 of round 2
2013-08-28: W vs. [*] Martin Kampmann (20-7-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 0:54 of round 4

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Robbie Lawler 175, Carlos Condit 217
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Robbie Lawler leads 5-4
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Heavyweight (265)
[#3] Andrei Arlovski (25-10-0, +186) vs. [#6] Stipe Miocic (13-2-0, -227)
Andrei Arlovski is the All-Time #8 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Andrei Arlovski (3-0-0)
2015-09-05: W vs. [#10HW+] Frank Mir (18-10-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-05-23: W vs. [#9HW+] Travis Browne (17-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:41 of round 1
2014-09-13: W vs. [#13HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:59 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Stipe Miocic (2-1-0)
2015-05-10: W vs. [#7HW+] Mark Hunt (11-10-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 5
2014-12-13: L vs. [#5HW+] Junior dos Santos (17-4-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2014-05-31: W vs. [#36LHW] Fabio Maldonado (22-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Andrei Arlovski 119, Stipe Miocic 237
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#21] Lorenz Larkin (16-4-0, +208) vs. [#27] Albert Tumenov (16-2-0, -256)

Last 3 Fights: Lorenz Larkin (2-1-0)
2015-06-27: W vs. [#49WW] Santiago Ponzinibbio (21-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:07 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#40WW] John Howard (23-12-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 1
2014-08-30: L vs. [#15MW] Derek Brunson (14-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Albert Tumenov (3-0-0)
2015-10-03: W vs. [#82WW] Alan Jouban (12-4-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:55 of round 1
2015-01-24: W vs. [#45WW] Nicholas Musoke (13-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#166WW] Matt Dwyer (8-3-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 1:03 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Lorenz Larkin 189, Albert Tumenov 91
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit – Who’s Getting Paid?

Posted on December 30, 2015 by McKinley Noble

UFC 195 kind of crept up on the MMA world a bit, and one only needs to blame the whirlwind of the “UFC Vegas” week that wrapped up the 2015 combat sports calendar. However, the holiday MMA break officially ends with the first pay-per-view bash of the new year, and this upcoming headliner is a damn good one.

In what can only be anticipated as a top-tier, world-class match for the ages, Robbie Lawler defends the UFC Welterweight Championship against Carlos Condit, while a number of contenders, journeymen, and prospects fight for various stakes on a very solid card. Let’s take a look at the money trail one last time for 2015, and dive into the previous UFC fighter salaries (plus most-recent Reebok payouts) for every main card talent at UFC 195 this weekend.

Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.

Robbie Lawler [#1 WW]
$340,000 = $150,000/$150,000 + $40,000* [UFC 189]

Carlos Condit [#8 WW]
$110,000 = $55,000/$55,000 [UFC 143]

Analysis: Robbie Lawler is going into his 19th Zuffa bout here, and his disclosed pay continues to hover slightly above the last-known salaries of most non-superstar UFC champions. Aside from the obvious bonus of retaining his title, it would be interesting to be how high Lawler could push his value with a few more victories — especially given his history as Zuffa’s revived golden boy.

For Condit, this will be his first salary reported since his infamous fight with Nick Diaz in 2012, where Condit took home $110,000 in victory — barely more than half of what Diaz made to lose ($200,000). At a 2-3 stretch since then and despite a short interim title reign, it’s worrisome to think that a past-prime Condit may have already hit his financial peak.

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Fight Matrix Program: Rizin 2 (12-31-2015)

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Jason

Heavyweight (265)
[*] Fedor Emelianenko (34-4-0, -1431) vs. [#182] Jaideep Singh (2-0-0, +832)
Fedor Emelianenko is the All-Time #1 ranked Heavyweight and #3 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Fedor Emelianenko (3-0-0)
2012-06-21: W vs. [*] Pedro Rizzo (20-11-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:24 of round 1
2011-12-31: W vs. [#39HW+] Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:29 of round 1
2011-11-20: W vs. [#491HW+] Jeff Monson (58-25-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Jaideep Singh (2-0-0)
2015-10-17: W vs. [#243HW+] Carlos Toyota (6-8-1) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2013-06-07: W vs. [NA] Alireza Tavak (0-2-0) via TKO (Elbows) in 4:24 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Fedor Emelianenko 1288, Jaideep Singh 75
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Heavyweight (265)
[*] Peter Aerts (1-1-0) vs. [NA] Kaido Hoovelson (DEBUT)

Last 3 Fights: Peter Aerts (1-1-0)
2005-12-31: L vs. [#502HW+] Shungo Oyama (14-19-0) via Submission (Heel Hook) in 0:30 of round 1
2005-07-06: W vs. [NA] Yoichi Babaguchi (1-6-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:36 of round 1

Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Featherweight (146)
[#1454LW] Kron Gracie (1-0-0) vs. [NA] Asen Yamamoto (DEBUT)

Last 3 Fights: Kron Gracie (1-0-0)
2014-12-23: W vs. [#1388LW] Hyung Soo Kim (1-1-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:05 of round 1

Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Fight Matrix Program: Rizin 1 (12-29-2015)

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Jason

Welterweight (171)
[#19LW] Shinya Aoki (38-6-0, 169.7lb) vs. [*] Kazushi Sakuraba (26-16-1, 171.0lb)

Last 3 Fights: Shinya Aoki (3-0-0)
2015-05-22: W vs. [#62LW] Koji Ando (12-4-2) via UD ()
2014-12-31: W vs. [#397LW] Yuki Yamamoto (6-8-4) via Submission (Twister) in 1:21 of round 1
2014-08-29: W vs. [*] Kamal Shalorus (9-4-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:15 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Kazushi Sakuraba (0-3-0)
2011-09-24: L vs. [#122LW] Yan Cabral (12-2-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:42 of round 2
2010-12-31: L vs. [#138WW] Marius Zaromskis (20-9-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 2:16 of round 1
2010-09-25: L vs. [*] Jason Miller (23-9-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:09 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Shinya Aoki 221, Kazushi Sakuraba 1557
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Heavyweight (220)
[#39] Satoshi Ishii (14-4-1, 219.0lb) vs. [#49LHW] Jiri Prochazka (14-2-1, 211.5lb)

Last 3 Fights: Satoshi Ishii (2-1-0)
2015-08-29: W vs. [#128HW+] William Penn (8-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:07 of round 1
2015-04-11: W vs. [#94HW+] Nick Rossborough (25-19-1) via Submission (Kimura) in 4:22 of round 1
2014-12-31: L vs. [#22HW+] Mirko Filipovic (31-11-2) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 5:00 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Jiri Prochazka (3-0-0)
2015-11-21: W vs. [#229LHW] Evgeni Kondratov (5-2-0) via in of round 1
2015-05-22: W vs. [#84LHW] Michal Fijalka (14-5-1) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1
2015-03-27: W vs. [NA] Rokas Stambrauskas (7-5-0) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Satoshi Ishii 122, Jiri Prochazka 38
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Heavyweight (220)
[#30LHW] Goran Reljic (15-5-0, 215.0lb) vs. [#112LHW] Vadim Nemkov (4-0-0, 219.5lb)

Last 3 Fights: Goran Reljic (2-1-0)
2015-10-31: L vs. [#24LHW] Tomasz Narkun (11-2-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:55 of round 1
2015-05-23: W vs. [#23LHW] Attila Vegh (29-6-2) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2014-12-06: W vs. [#24LHW] Tomasz Narkun (11-2-0) via UD (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Vadim Nemkov (3-0-0)
2015-08-29: W vs. [#247LHW] Joaquim Ferreira (19-11-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:22 of round 1
2015-04-24: W vs. [NA] Isidor Bunea (0-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:00 of round 1
2013-08-05: W vs. [#270LHW] Michal Gutowski (8-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:32 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Goran Reljic 59, Vadim Nemkov 122
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Current MMA Rankings Updated (12-27-2015)

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Jason

How does the Rizin two-night tournament stack up?

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Richard Mann

Rizin Fighting Federation has completed the field for their 100kg tournament. The tournament will start on the promotion’s first show on Dec. 29 and continue on the New Year’s Eve event. The field will feature representatives from Rizin’s partner promotions such as Bellator, BAMMA, Jungle Fight, Bushido Lithuania and KSW.

The history of MMA is full of impact tournaments such as the early UFC events and the Pride Grand Prix events. The sports seems to have grown out of tournaments for the most part, but they do still happen in the major leagues with limited regularity. At first glance, the Rizin tournament does not seem to stand up to some of the great heavyweight tournaments of the past. Does that hold up?

To compare the Rizin field to earlier tournaments, the contemporary ranking of each competitor in each heavyweight tournament under the Pride FC, Strikeforce and Bellator MMA since 2000 was reviewed. For the sake of this analysis, contemporary ranking means the Generated Historical Ranking from the quarter where the fight took place. For fighters that were not ranked at the time of the tournament, they are listed as 250th, which is the equivalent of last in the heavyweight division.

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Current MMA Rankings Updated (12-20-2015)

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Jason

Bang for Your Buck: UFC on FOX 17

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Oleg

They say all good things must come to an end. And so as the UFC is wrapping up a what was a very successful year for the promotion with another stacked event on Fox/Fox Sports 1, I will be wrapping up 2015 with the last installment in the ‘Bang for Your Buck’ series. It’s hard to believe that Zuffa is able to put on such a strong card just a week after a ridiculous weekend of three UFC events in three days. Besides a lightweight title fight and a long awaited matchup between two hard hitting Top 10 heavyweights, the main card on Fox also features another solid lightweight bout, while an extended 3-hour block of prelims on FS1 has five fights that I am looking forward to. There are also two women’s bouts on the card – one on Fox, one on the prelims – as well as three bouts on Fight Pass to start off the event, but none of those really pique my interest.

Main Card (Fox)

Main Event: (C) [#1 LW] Rafael dos Anjos vs [#2 LW] Donald Cerrone for the UFC Lightweight Championship

Worth: $25

Why: This is an amazing matchup between two of the worlds most elite lightweights, both at the peak of their game. After losing a decision to the Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2014, dos Anjos fought four times in the following year, and won all four: T/KO finishes of Ben Henderson and Jason High and thoroughly dominant decisions over Nate Diaz and then champion Antony Pettis. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in the meanwhile has won seven straight with four finishes in the course of two years. Cerrone’s last loss came via a close decision to Dos Anjos, but with the way both fighters have performed since then, a rematch is definitely warranted.

Dos Anjos and Cowboy have had a lot of common opponents, which is understandable when both had 18 fights in the UFC. What is more interesting that besides handing Cerrone his last loss, dos Anjos also beat the two men who defeated Cerrone prior: Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis. While Cerrone is not the same fighter he was in the Diaz fight – or even in the first dos Anjos fight – I still believe Rafael will take the rematch and successfully defend his title for the first time. Another interesting factoid about this fight is that Cowboy is the only lineal champion who is not also the UFC champion, so this fight will unify the last disputed lineage in all of men’s divisions, merging all lineal championships with UFC belts (with the questionable exemption of Jon Jones).

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Investigating the decline of Nate Marquardt

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Richard Mann

Nate Marquardt faces C.B. Dollaway this Saturday at UFC on FOX 17. The former number-one contender has fallen on hard times. He is currently 1-5 in his last six fights. Even more distressing is the fact that he is getting knocked out at mucher higher rate and absorbing more strikes than ever before in his career. Is this is a decline in physical ability or is Marquardt simply facing better opposition?

In his last seven fights, six out of his seven opponents have landed over two significant strikes per minute against him (per Fightmetric). Prior to his fight against Tyron Woodley in 2012, only two of Marquardt’s opponents in his Strikeforce/UFC career, had been that successful against him, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

Marquardt has been knocked out in three of his last five bouts. Before he faced Jake Ellenberger in 2013, he had only been knocked out on one occasion, his title fight against Silva. During the same stretch, he scored only one knockout, a come-from-behind win over Woodley. In his preceding seven fights, Marquardt scored knockouts in four of seven bouts. He was getting hit less, landing more knockouts and getting knocked out less. Plus, he was actually facing, on average, higher ranked opposition. The following chart shows the stark difference over the course of his last 14 bouts. Ranking here refers to the Fight Matrix Generated Historical Ranking from the quarter in which the bout took place.

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UFC on Fox 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 – Who’s Getting Paid?

Posted on December 17, 2015 by McKinley Noble

UFC on Fox 17 is quietly underscoring the massive embarrassment of riches that MMA fans are having this December. If our latest Fight Matrix Program wasn’t enough of a clue, this weekend hosts one of the most competitive and quality-driven fight cards of the year.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone aside, Michael Johnson, Nate Diaz, Junior dos Santos, and Alistair Overeem could all headline their own UFC cards — but as it sometimes happens, we’re getting them all in one event. Let’s enjoy this good fortune and do our thing, as we run down the previous UFC fighter salaries with most-recent Reebok sponsorship payouts for each combatant on Friday’s Fox main card.

Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.

Rafael dos Anjos [#1 LW]
$86,000 = $41,000/$41,000 + $4,000 [UFC on Fox 13]

Donald Cerrone [#2 LW]
$152,000 = $76,000/$76,000 [UFC 187]

Analysis: Donald Cerrone has only gotten craftier with age — both inside and outside the Octagon. On little more than hustle, his unique personality, and some good social media tactics, “Cowboy” has secured himself a (relatively) high UFC salary and 8-0 winning streak that puts him solidly in the “21+ bout” range of the Reebok tenure deal.

At 18 UFC fights and (likely) paid comparatively less than the top stars, RDA has a lot more to lose here, while his physique post-USADA testing has been in serious question around most MMA circles. Either way, it’s pretty grim that a loss will cost either man a steep five figures in sponsorship pay.

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Fight Matrix Program: UFC on Fox 17 – Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone (12-19-2015)

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Jason

Lightweight Championship (155)
[#1/#7DD/#7P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (24-7-0, -215) vs. [#2/#10P4P] Donald Cerrone (28-6-0, +177)
Rafael dos Anjos is the All-Time #8 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Donald Cerrone is the All-Time #15 ranked Lightweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Rafael dos Anjos (3-0-0)
2015-03-14: W vs. [#3LW] Anthony Pettis (18-3-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2014-12-13: W vs. [#21LW] Nate Diaz (17-10-0) via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
2014-08-23: W vs. [#10WW] Ben Henderson (23-5-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:31 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Donald Cerrone (3-0-0)
2015-05-23: W vs. [#72LW] John Makdessi (13-5-0) via TKO (Head Kick) in 4:44 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#10WW] Ben Henderson (23-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-01-03: W vs. [#14LW] Myles Jury (15-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Rafael dos Anjos 280, Donald Cerrone 210
Previous Match-up Record: Rafael dos Anjos leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Rafael dos Anjos leads 5-4
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Heavyweight (265)
[#3] Junior dos Santos (17-3-0, -356) vs. [#9] Alistair Overeem (39-14-0, +279)
Junior dos Santos is the All-Time #5 ranked Heavyweight and #21 ranked Absolute fighter.
Alistair Overeem is the All-Time #18 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Junior dos Santos (2-1-0)
2014-12-13: W vs. [#5HW+] Stipe Miocic (13-2-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2013-10-19: L vs. [#2HW+] Cain Velasquez (13-2-0) via TKO (Slam and Punch) in 3:09 of round 5
2013-05-25: W vs. [#6HW+] Mark Hunt (11-10-1) via KO (Spinning Hook Kick) in 4:18 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Alistair Overeem (2-1-0)
2015-03-14: W vs. [#23HW+] Roy Nelson (20-12-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-12-13: W vs. [#32HW+] Stefan Struve (26-8-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:13 of round 1
2014-09-05: L vs. [#7HW+] Ben Rothwell (35-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:19 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Junior dos Santos 371, Alistair Overeem 280
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 5 win(s) against common opposition.
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Lightweight (155)
[#9] Michael Johnson (16-9-0, -459) vs. [#21] Nate Diaz (17-10-0, +356)

Last 3 Fights: Michael Johnson (2-1-0)
2015-08-08: L vs. [#8LW] Beneil Dariush (12-1-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2015-02-22: W vs. [#17LW] Edson Barboza (16-4-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-03-08: W vs. [#41LW] Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Nate Diaz (1-2-0)
2014-12-13: L vs. [#1LW/#7DD/#7P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (24-7-0) via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
2013-11-30: W vs. [#175LW] Gray Maynard (11-5-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:38 of round 1
2013-04-20: L vs. [#16LW] Josh Thomson (22-8-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 3:44 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Michael Johnson 133, Nate Diaz 371
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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All-Time MMA Rankings Updated (12-15-2015)

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Jason

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Eight Straight, No Title Shot?

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Oleg

In the opening bout of the Pay-Per-View portion of UFC 194, Max Holloway defeated Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision. It was in my opinion the least spectacular fight on the main card, and with two new champions being crowned later that evening, it’s understandable that this fight didn’t receive much press. However there is something about this fight worth mentioning: Holloway earned his eight consecutive win in the Octagon, entering a five-way tie for the fifth most consecutive wins in UFC history.

The other four fighters that share this accomplishment are Jon Fitch, Gray Maynard, Lyoto Machida, and Donald Cerrone. They all have something in common: winning eight consecutive fights earned them a shot at the title (Machida got his after the seventh win). Fitch and Maynard failed to win the belt, and we will see how Cerrone fares in his rematch with the champion Rafael dos Anjos next Saturday, but that is beside the point. The point being that if Holloway’s next fight is not for the featherweight gold, he will become the first fighter in history to reach the 8-win streak benchmark in UFC and not be rewarded with a title shot.

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